Many of our Summer Lunch Lizard families are struggling with unpaid meal account balances through the entire school year. A significant part of our Mesa County population are considered the working poor, who miss the coverage provided by free and reduced meal programs, yet still have a need. Over the last twenty years housing costs have increased 2-3 times within a family’s monthly budget, decreasing the ability to pay other expenses. The ripple effect is we have an escalating amount of Mesa County families with unpaid meal accounts. 100% of our School Lunch Angel fund donations go directly to the accounts of families with severely high balance unpaid meal accounts.